1 Maccabees, 1

1.Everything began with the conquests of Alexander the first, son of Philip, the Macedonian. Setting out from Greece, he killed Darius, king of the Persians and the Medes. Being already King of Greece, he took the throne of Darius.

2.After fighting many battles, conquering strongholds and putting to death the kings of those nations,

3.he reached the ends of the earth and plundered several nations. And when the world became quiet and subject to his power, he became proud.

4.He gathered a strong army, ruled over provinces and nations, and rulers paid him taxes.

9.And immediately after Alexander's death, they made themselves kings and their sons after them, filling the earth with evil for many years.

10.From their descendants there came a godless offshoot, Antiochus Epiphanes, son of King Antiochus, who had been held as hostage in Rome. He became king in the one hundred and thirty-seventh year of the Greek era, (175 B.C.).

11.It was then that some rebels emerged from Israel, who succeeded in winning over many people. They said, "Let us renew contact with the peoples around us for we have had endured many misfortunes since we separated from them."

13.and some eagerly went to the king. The king authorized them to adopt the customs of the pagan nations.

14.With his permission, they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem in the pagan style.

15.And as they wanted to be like the pagans in everything, they made artificial foreskins for themselves and abandoned the Holy Covenant, sinning as they pleased.

16.When Antiochus felt confident of his power, he decided to seize Egypt and rule over the two nations.

17.He entered Egypt with a strong army, with chariots of war, elephants, horses and a great fleet

18.and attacked Ptolemy, king of Egypt. Ptolemy had to retreat and was defeated, and many of his men died.

19.The victors seized the fortified cities of Egypt and plundered the land.

20.In the year one hundred and forty-three (169 B.C.), when Antiochus returned after defeating Egypt, he passed through Israel and went up to Jerusalem with a strong army.

21.He arrogantly broke into the sanctuary and removed the golden altar, the lampstand for the light with all its accessories,

22.the table for the bread of offering, the libation vessels, the cups, the golden censers, the curtains and the crowns, and stripped away all the decorations, the golden moldings that used to cover the Temple entrance.

23.He also took possession of the silver, gold, valuable objects and all the hidden treasures he could find.

24.He took everything with him and left for his country, after shedding much blood and making arrogant statements.

50.The decree finally declared: "Anyone who does not fulfill the king's order shall die."

51.The king published this obligation throughout the province and inspectors appointed by him went around the land of Judea. They saw to it that sacrifices were offered in all cities.

52.Many Israelites joined them, abandoned the Law and committed countless evils

53.obliging the true Israelites to find places of refuge to hide themselves.

54.On the fifteenth day of the month of Chislev, in the year one hundred and forty-five, Antiochus erected the "abominable idol of the invaders" on the altar of the temple. Pagan altars were built throughout the whole land of Judea;

55.incense was offered at the doors of their houses and in the squares.

56.There wicked men tore up the books of the Law they found and burned them.

57.They killed anyone they caught in possession of the book of the Covenant and who fulfilled the precepts of the Law, as the royal decree had ordered.

58.And being men in power, they pursued the Israelite rebels they found month after month in the cities.

59.On the twenty-fifth day of every month, they offered their sacrifices on the new altar they had built upon the altar of the Temple.

60.The women who, in defiance of the decree, had the rite of circumcision performed on their children, were put to death with their babies hung around their necks.

61.Their families and all who had taken part in the circumcision were also put to death.

62.But in spite of all this, many Israelites still remained firm and determined not to eat unclean food.

63.They preferred to die rather than to make themselves unclean with those foods (prohibited by the Law) that violated the Holy Covenant.